Snapshots
by TinySprite
Summary: A NaNoWriMo project. A series of drabbles for the Dragon Flyz series. Warnings will be applied as needed per chapter.
1. Evidence

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is the property of Gaumont Pictures. Only this plot is hers.

Prompt: Evidence

(-)

Councilman Joshua frowned to himself, carefully taking in every word of the report before him. Maintaining the floating city of Airlandis was no easy task, made all the harder by Aaron's near fanatical devotion to finding the Promised Land. If only he'd focus that same attention on the city itself! It didn't help matters that the older man's children were almost as bad as their father, likely brainwashed into believing that old tale. He could think of no other reason why such otherwise admirable adults would believe that children's story, though Peak's immaturity excused him for the time being.

Focusing again on his work, Joshua signed the appropriate spots on the report and placed it aside on top of a pile of other finished reports. He calmly picked up a second one and looked over it, stifling a sigh as he realized it was the same as the previous one, only with slightly different wording. Signing off on that one too, he began to go over yet another report, only to his surprise it wasn't one for him but actually Z'neth, detailing the ever common old problem of too many recruits for not enough young dragons.

Frowning to himself, Joshua's brain began to pick yet again at the problems that the Dragon Flyz presented. Their feats were an inspiration to the city, especially the youth, and time again they had proven their capability against the danger presented by Dread Wing and his minions. Yet they allowed a fantasy to rule their judgment.

Though the councilman would readily admit to the advantages a sizeable Oasis could provide Airlandis, the idea that there would be an area large enough to take in and support all of the city's population was absurd. With the city's travels all over the ruined world, an area that large would have long been found and colonized by now! Whatever Aaron had seen all those years ago, the ex-Dragon Fly had no evidence to support his claims but there was plenty more to debunk him.

Setting aside the mistakenly delivered report to give to Z'neth later, Joshua returned to the task at hand, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head telling him that Mount Alayas had once been a supposed myth as well.


	2. I'm Here

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: I'm here

(-)

Apex bit her lip, concentrating as she carefully sketched out the shape of the flowering plant before her, making the occasional note alongside it about the color, size, shape and other features. The sketchbook in her hands was a new one, with this plant being her first entry. Frowning at an errant line, she flipped the pencil over to erase it before redoing it, trying to get the curve of one of the petals right.

Though she would admit to how old-fashioned this method was, it was certainly helpful in some parts of Old Earth where electronics wouldn't work for a variety of reasons. Plus, she would also admit to how it relaxed her, giving her something to concentrate on to help her focus. As it was, part of her mind was gently probing the thoughts of the squirrel a tree over, not enough to make it do things but enough to know it was thinking of where to bury its next cache of acorns.

It was a concentration technique that Apex had taught herself, to better discipline herself on the use of her powers as well as to help work under stress. Sighing as yet another flower came out crooked, Apex moved her mind to a new target, locating a deer some yards away, nosing at some bushes in the quest of a tasty treat.

Focusing a little bit, she was able to direct it to a berry bush that was heavy with fruit. Smiling to herself at the animal's delight, she moved her mind again, only to get a strange 'sliding' sensation as her powers hit a blocked mind. Looking up with a surprised blink, the redhead soon smiled to herself and called out, "I'm here Peak, by the great oak!"

There was a rustling from behind her before an amused voice told her, "I still don't get how you do that, Sis."

Glancing over her shoulder at him, Apex gave him a smile, "What can I say? It's a gift."

Moving to stand next to her, Peak changed the subject as he glanced at the sketchbook with interest, "Father said he wants to talk to you, something about tags?"

Apex groaned, shoving the sketchbook and pencil at Peak to hold while she gathered up the rest of her things, "I almost forgot! We need to replace the tracking tag on one of the hares in the Arctic biosphere. The battery must have died o-"

She cut herself off at hearing the sounds of a pencil moving quickly on a sheet of paper, darting her head back up only to see Peak doing something to her drawing of the plant, "Peak! What are you doing?!"

Jumping at him to rescue her work, the teen only dodged her with surprising ease, moving the pencil a few more times before tossing both items back at her, "Father said to meet him at the Arctic biosphere! Later Apex!"

With that parting shot, he darted off, seemingly pleased with himself. Grumbling about irritating younger brothers, Apex glanced at her work to see what the damage was. Surprisingly, her sketch was fine but right to the side of it was a second, better done sketch. She stared at it for a few minutes before closing and securing the book, stalking off with a further grumble and wondering if it would be too petty of her to have a squirrel throw some acorns at her younger brother later.


	3. Funeral

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which are owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Funeral

Warning: There is a spoiler here for any who haven't seen the episode The Portal yet.

(-)

When it came to the event of a funeral in Airlandis, it was generally a simple affair. When the flying city had be built, there had been no inclusion of space for a cemetery so the deceased were cremated and the ashes given to the family or handled otherwise according to the wishes of the deceased.

In the occasion that there was no body, the family instead received a small memorial tablet with the name and dates on it. With those thoughts in mind, Aaron found himself staring at the tablet for Iranda, his dear wife.

When she had vanished all those years ago, they'd believed her to be dead. The fact that they'd never found a body only seemed to prove that fact. Oh, he'd fought it at first, refusing to believe that Iranda was gone. Aaron had been able to convince a few of his fellow dragonators to keep searching with him, using the fact that her body was still missing as proof that Iranda was still alive.

What if dark dramen had captured her? What if she was hiding on Old Earth from Dread Wing and his forces, trying to find a way to get back home? The shame-faced dragonator that had flown her down to the star-shaped valley admitted he had no idea what became of her. She'd sent him away after he had taken her to the temple there, on the grounds that if anything did go wrong, he would be able to bring word back to Airlandis.

But there'd been an attack on the city and he'd had to go back to help fight, at Iranda's insistence. By the time a team had been able to go and retrieve her, she was gone. Aaron and his comrades had searched for her continuously, but as days became weeks and weeks turned into months, Aaron found himself increasingly alone in his task.

Finally, when the months became years, he'd quietly given up and accepted the tablet that he'd been refusing for the longest time. As his mind emerged from his memories, Aaron considered the memorial tablet before him yet again.

It was two inches high and six inches long, with Iranda's full name neatly inscribed onto it in the old writing style of cursive. Her dates of birth and death were right beneath that, written in a smaller size. The stone itself was almost pretty, in the shade of his wife's favorite rose pink color and it must have been a trial to find.

Aaron had to smile at that, remembering how easily she'd made friends. Reaching forward, he took the tablet from the shelf that had been its home for all this time and put it into the sturdy box at his side. Sealing it, he then put that into a storage closet, a surprisingly light feeling in his heart.

All this time and it had finally been confirmed. Iranda was still alive, alive and waiting to come home.


	4. Puppy Love

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which are owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Puppy love

(-)

Nora forced herself to stay calm, reminding herself yet again that it was just a temporary annoyance. This would soon pass, though she couldn't hope but help it hurried up and went. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her temper under control as it was.

She'd run into the annoyance twice that morning, pestering her both times for some attention and an offer for a date. He had to have been waiting for her both times, as their schedules were not the same in the least. A little part of her was flattered at that, but the rest of her was irritated that he would not back off.

Nora had already heard a couple of whispered rumors, two were just silly but the other one hurt, that her upcoming evaluation would go well for her because she had the attention of a Dragon Fly. She'd gotten where she was on hard work and dedication! There was no way she was going to let anyone say any different!

Hearing her name being called out from ahead of her, she glanced up to see Summit waving her over to the side of the hall. Curious, she walked over to him, wondering what he could want. The blond man looked a little embarrassed, but was clearly set on what he was going to say. Once she was standing in front of him, he quietly told her, "Look, I want to say I'm sorry about Peak."

She blinked at him, not expecting that. Summit continued on before she could say anything more, "I know he's going a little overboard with everything and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to talk to him about this. If it helps any, Peak really does like you though."

Nora frowned, folding her arms before her chest, "I can appreciate that, but I want him to back off and leave me alone. This...puppy love of his is starting to become a hindrance."

Summit raised an eyebrow at her, smiling slightly at the old phrase, "I know, that's why I wanted to let you know that I'm going to handle this. If he keeps bothering you like this, just let me know, alright?"

She nodded, "Thanks Summit. I was about to go to Z'neth about this."

The wince passed very quickly over Summit's face, almost too fast for Nora to catch it. Her mind filed that away to puzzle over later as Summit smiled at her, "I'll take care of it, don't worry. See ya around Nora."

With that parting, he turned on his heel and left, leaving Nora in the hall with her thoughts. Soon though, she went on with her day, pleased to note that there were no more annoyances for that day. Now if only it could be permanent...


	5. Gloves

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which are owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Gloves

(-)

Ulrich swore as he pulled yet another drawer out of his desk and upended it, glaring at the jumbled contents. Tossing the drawer aside, he dug through the pile, mood worsening with every passing second that he didn't find what he was looking for.

Sparing a second to wish his assistant wasn't home with some kind of stomach bug, Ulrich yanked another drawer free and repeated the process. Some help with his searching would have been vastly appreciated right then. Grimacing at the feel of paper against his bare hands, he determinedly dug through the pile, trying to find where his gloves had gone.

He'd taken them off for just a few minutes, just to get a quick bite to eat but now they were gone and from the looks of it, not in his office where he'd left them. He'd had back-ups because of a time-old prank ritual from the freshly initiated dragonators but even those were gone.

Growling, Ulrich stood up and slammed his foot into a nearby filing cabinet to vent his frustration. He needed those gloves to work! Work that he couldn't do because some puffed up little – eh?

There'd been an odd noise from his filing cabinet, a hissing and shuffling sound. It was a sound that should not be there. Remembering the recording ability of the Gremwings and their quirk of turning up in unexpected places, Ulrich took the heavy lump of exhausted amber off his desk as quietly as he could.

Hefting it in one hand to make sure he had a good grip on it, he reached forward with his free hand and quickly yanked open the already partially open top cabinet drawer. Ulrich barely stopped himself in time to keep from braining Sky Fury's cub, which was squawking its displeasure at him.

Staring at the small green cub in confusion, the old man quickly felt his irritation return when he saw just what the cub was nestled on. Every pair of gloves from his office were in there, with a few others that he didn't recognize, with the cub resting comfortably on top of the rough made nest.

"You little thief! Give those back!" Ulrich growled, dropping the stone to snatch up the cub with both hands, being careful to try and keep the mouth pointing away from him. The cub still had that unique paralyzing ability, despite attempts to remove the mutein from its small body.

The little green squawked and snarled, fighting him to get back to its claimed territory and spoils, though it didn't paralyze him at least. Managing to open the door to his office, Ulrich tossed the cub out and quickly shut the door, grumbling to himself about the whole affair.

Moving back to his filing cabinet, Ulrich picked up the top pair of his gloves and slid them on happily, flexing his fingers to ensure they still fit right. Satisfied with that, he reached back in to take the others out, only for something to bang right above his head and a green blur darted into the drawer.

Snatching his hands back before the cub could bite at them, Ulrich swore again and looked up to see one of the air vent covers had been shoved open, just enough to allow a determined creature access to the room. With a groan, he now knew how the cub had even gotten in here in the first place. A self-satisfied squawk from the drawer got his attention back to it.

Man and dragon cub looked at each other with narrowed eyes, silently declaring that this was not over, not by a long shot.


	6. Blackboard

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Blackboard

(-)

Gangryn mumbled to himself, going over his calculations yet again. He was in the planning section of his lab, surrounded by piles of yellowed paper and a few digital hand-held boards. There was a scavenged blackboard to one side, crammed full of equations on every available inch of space except for the missing corner. That had been missing when he'd gotten it, though the crack running through the blackboard had been formed on one of the days Lord Dread had decided to vent his temper in Gangryn's lab at yet another failed project.

The skinny mutant snarled to himself at the memories, but quickly paled and shuddered at the thought of what would happen to him if this current project failed. If everything went well, then he should be able to make it so that Warnado had a more efficient power system, which would finally bring some of the old systems back online.

It wouldn't get the ship flying, but it would certainly make it easier to get to that goal. Double checking one of the equations on the blackboard, Gangryn couldn't help the shiver in his hand as he made the final adjustment. Finally, finally!

He was confident this project would work...in theory at least. Though they'd never successfully acquired any of Airlandis' amber technology, the mutant scientist had seen enough of it to puzzle something of it out.

If this worked, Warnado would be able to use the power of the amber as well. It wouldn't get the output that the amber reactors of Airlandis had, but it would certainly be a start and with the new wiring system Gangryn had devised, Warnado would have more power than what the remaining lava reactors gave it and more efficiently distributed as well.

Giving one last check over his work, Gangryn crossed his lab to carefully, almost reverentially, place the small amber stone into the prototype reactor he'd devised. Stepping back, he pressed the needed sequence of buttons and waited.

Within seconds, the slightest glow appeared in the stone and an almost unheard humming came from it as the amber's power was activated. The computer bank he'd hooked to the reactor groaned and whined before the screens finally flickered to life and the notification lights brightened to life.

Letting out a cry of victory, Gangryn darted to the closest computer, typing in lines of code and feeling his already wide smile going wider as the program went through. He cast a glance at the stone, mind already buzzing with new methods and modifications he could do to it.

If this was what a small stone, not much bigger than his fist, could do, then the idea of the energy output of the much larger stones that the Dragon Flyz sought was mind numbing. The simple notion of all the progress he could make made Gangryn dizzy with delight.

Grabbing his tools, he went back to work with a will, determined to not only improve his design but to outdo the reactors of Airlandis. Just as Lord Dread strove to show those humans the superior strength of the mutants, Gangryn would show them the superior intelligence!


	7. Muse

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Muse

(-)

Apex didn't think she was extraordinarily beautiful.

Oh, she knew she was pretty and it always pleased her when someone complimented her, but she didn't think she was as lovely as some people claimed. She tried to not let it bother her for the most part and there were some exceptions that she did enjoy, like the art history professor that liked to call her his muse whenever he saw her.

Looking at herself in her bathroom mirror, Apex plucked at her hair and sighed. She had a couple little vanities about her appearance, with her hair being one of them. Her orange hair had been long once, but Apex had cut it when she'd entered dragonator training years ago. Not only were there practical benefits for doing so, but also...well, short hair complemented her face better than long hair did.

Apex would also admit to using some skin lotions and facial creams, but again, those also had practical benefits besides improving her looks. The duties of a dragonator required them to go to environments with harsh temperatures, dry air and the sheer amount of wind burn a body could acquire was mind boggling. As a Dragon Fly herself, Apex went through all that and more, plus new gear had a tendency to chafe before it was properly broken in.

She didn't even wear make up, not unless it was for special occasions. Otherwise, Apex just used a protective lip balm. It also wasn't like she was the only one. Just yesterday, she and Nora had traded tips about a combination of lotions that worked better than using a single one and Apex had overheard some of the male dragonators talking about the same thing. It was just something that came with the job.

Sighing again, Apex reached up and gently unclasped her small earrings to pull them out. That was her one other vanity, but she had a reason for it too. She'd begged their mother for the piercings as a birthday present when she was a little girl, having always admired her mother's own earrings. When their mother had vanished, Apex kept the piercings, even when she'd entered dragonator training where that was heavily discouraged.

Along with the physical work of being a dragonator and her own training in martial arts, Apex had developed a nicely toned and trimmed body. Over time, it all added up to give her the lovely image she had today. Apex shook her head as she finished getting ready for bed, not sure she'd ever understand the fascination with one's image.


	8. Magic

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Magic

(-)

Z'neth was used to playing the peace-maker, though he would readily admit that Summit often handled that better than he himself did. Still, either people would bring their fights to the eldest Dragon Fly or he'd run across them. Whichever happened, it usually fell to him to straighten things out.

So while he wasn't surprised to hear shouting voices during one of his patrols on Airlandis, Z'neth was surprised to see that it was Lucy and Tommy fighting. Poor Claw Fire was a few steps back from them, clearly distraught at their fight. The brown and tan young dragon saw Z'neth and gave him a pleading look.

Curious as to what this was about, Z'neth approached the trio and saw that Tommy had a slim book in his hands, though he couldn't make out the title. He didn't need to though, as Lucy snapped, "Magic tricks aren't cool Tommy! That's stuff for little kids!"

Tommy scowled back at her, "So what? Magic tricks are cool!"

About to retort, Lucy finally saw Z'neth and went quiet, a blush forming on her face at being caught in a childish fight. Tommy sulked next to her, handing over the book when Z'neth held out his hand for it. The title proudly proclaimed that it was a guide to the greatest slight of hand tricks throughout the ages. Flipping it open to reveal the data screen inside, there was indeed a list of supposed popular tricks, many involving cards and/or handkerchiefs.

Handing the book back to the boy, Z'neth then held both of his hands open before the kids, letting them see that he wasn't holding anything. Cupping one hand, he made it look like he was holding something and tossed 'it' into the air. As the confused kids and dragon watched, Z'neth 'caught' something out of the air three times with the other hand, closing it after the third time and then held it in front of them, opening his hand to reveal two pieces of wrapped candy and a small dragon treat.

All three of them stared at Z'neth with wide eyes, slowly accepting the candies and treat. Stepping back to return to his patrol, Z'neth gave them a quick smile, "I prefer the card tricks though."

As he left, the eldest Dragon Flyz could hear Lucy and Tommy talking to each other excitedly, trying to figure out how Z'neth had done the trick and if they could learn it too. Feeling pleased with his work, Z'neth tried to keep that in mind once he caught sight of Councilman Joshua baring down on him with a look of war on his face.


	9. Clean

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Clean

(-)

Summit double-checked everything carefully, making sure all his supplies were in order before he stepped into Sky Fury's pen. She was relaxing on her nest, watching her cub root through a small pile of toys. She turned to glance at Summit curiously, moving her head towards him in hopes of a scratch.

Chuckling, Summit obliged her, "Hey Fury, how ya doing girl?"

She rumbled happily at him, which got the cub's attention. Squawking at them, he shot into the air, circling them twice before landing on Summit's shoulder like a parrot from a pirate story. The Dragon Fly reached up to give him a scratch as well, chucking again at the happy coo the cub let out.

Moving out of his dragon's stall, Summit made his way to one of the bathing areas, hearing Sky Fury following him the whole time. She let out a pleased chirp and went straight to her usual area. Letting out a laugh, Summit waved a hand at her, "In a second Fury, I want to clean up your cub first."

Using both hands to pull the cub off his shoulder, Summit held the small dragon over the medium-sized tub he'd acquired for this purpose. Making soothing noises to the cub, Summit proceeded to gently lower it into the warm water, not even making an attempt to avoid getting splashed.

Though he hadn't put much water in the tub, between the cub's startled wing flapping and tail whipping, the front of Summit's shirt was soon soaked. Shrugging it off, he'd actually worn some old civilian clothes because he'd figured this would happen, Summit waited for the cub to calm down before wetting a small sponge to start the bath.

Talking in a steady and calm voice the whole time, Summit was able to get through the main part of the bath without much of a problem. Getting the cub's mouth open to check its teeth was an adventure in irritated snaps and nearly bit fingers. Finally though, Summit got it open and glanced inside, happy to see that the few teeth present looked fine.

Lifting Fury's cub out of the tub, Summit grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry it off, laughing at the cub's affronted look. Making his way back to Sky Fury, who hadn't moved from her spot, Summit released the cub. It snapped at him before flying the short distance back to its mother, snuggling against her front.

Shaking his head, Summit sighed, "We really need to think of a name for you...let's go with Zap for now."

The freshly cleaned and named cub made a grumbling noise, which Summit chose to think of as acceptance. Summit shrugged and grabbed some larger sponges, intent on giving Sky Fury the bath she'd patiently waited for.


	10. Secret

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers. The idea of dragons having an empathic bond with their riders comes from Ry Sabir. Go read his stuff.

Prompt: Secret

(-)

In her little office, a young researcher named Holly stared hard at the data pad that held her report, lightly biting her thumb in agitation. It was no secret that Aaron had power, specifically telekinetic power. His daughter Apex took after him the strongest, though her abilities were more geared to that of telepathy and higher level empathy.

It was that empathic ability that had sparked Holly's interest, enough for her to put in a research request to be allowed to study Apex's ability. If they could find out more about it, then it could theoretically make the process of developing empathic bonds between dragon and rider that much easier. What she hadn't expected was to get permission to study the whole family, with Aaron himself even telling her about a past study that had been done on him when he'd been a teenager.

Holly had taken a look at it, surprised to find that Aaron had been seventeen when his powers had fully manifested. At that time, he'd had a high empathic ability, actually higher than Apex's current power, as well as some telepathic ability and oddly, a much weaker telekinetic ability. Doing a little digging had turned up a second report on Aaron, though most of it was redacted as classified. From what she could read though, Aaron had lost most of his empathic ability in the very attack that had killed his dragon Jupiter. It was also the same attack that had taken Aaron's ability to walk from him, leaving the once Dragon Fly crippled.

She had asked some timid questions about it, surprised when Aaron answered her easily. He admitted that yes, almost all of his empathic ability had seemingly vanished that day, along with his telepathy. His telekinetic ability had increased though, likely through Aaron's focusing on wanting to be mobile again. From what Holly understood, using his staff as both a stabilizer and a focus, Aaron essentially used his telekinetic power to make a 'platform' locked to the bottom of his feet and mentally moved that 'platform' whenever he wanted to move around.

As for the remains of his empathic ability, all that was left were actually weak bonds to his children, not strong enough to sense their location at all times, but enough for him to accurately know their moods when they were close to him. Though he seemed reluctant to answer the following question, Aaron did clarify that yes, the strongest bond was with Apex and oddly, specified that his weakest bond was with Peak.

Then came Holly's next surprise. Aaron quietly admitted to her that Iranda had been suspected of having some ability herself, specifically either precognition or premonition. It hadn't happened enough for an actual study to be done, but she did seem to have a knack for knowing things in advance that she couldn't have otherwise. Holly pondered on that after he left, wondering why Aaron had told her such a valuable bit of information.

She understood it later when she met with Z'neth. The eldest of the four Dragon Flyz seemingly had no ability besides his bond with his dragon but Holly suspected from some of his answers that Z'neth might actually have a low level of precognition himself. He himself thought of them as just hunches or 'gut feelings', but their oddly high level of accuracy told Holly otherwise. The session overall progressed smoothly.

Summit's session was also easy, with Holly noting that he seemed to have low levels of empathy himself, besides the dragon bond. It was likely what made it so easy for him to act as a mediator in fights and why he was such a gregarious person. That ability was also likely what gave Summit his odd temper, his lack of control over it allowing him to be affected by the emotions of another person/other people and react according to that.

When it came time for Apex's session, it first moved forward neatly. Apex herself had plenty of ideas for increasing the bond between dragon and rider, most of which basically required that the rider spent more time with their dragon. Dragons themselves were naturally empathic creatures and usually sought out others like themselves. While that helped ease the process of pairing a rider and dragon together, problems could arise if the rider didn't have a decent bond to the dragon. Normally that could be fixed just by having the two spend more time together. When this couldn't be done, Apex admitted she was often called in to play mediator and could sometimes even use her own power to nudge the bond open a little more, allowing the rider to better understand their dragon's emotions and needs.

There were times though, when nothing could be done and instead the pair was broken up to be assigned elsewhere, if the rider was lucky enough to get another dragon instead of being recycled back into dragonator training. Holly had to struggle to hide her irritation at that point, realizing her research wasn't going anywhere. Asking some more questions of Apex had gotten an unexpected answer, that she actually also had empathetic bonds with her family. Hers were a little stronger than what their father had, but not by much, meaning Apex could possibly locate her family if she concentrated hard enough.

Of course, the strongest bond was with their father but the next admittance caught the researcher off guard. Holly actually had to ask Apex to repeat her second statement, not sure she'd heard it right. The female Dragon Fly had shifted uneasily in her seat before finally re-admitting that she had almost no empathetic bond to Peak. Holly asked her to clarify what that statement meant.

Apex went on to give details that were honestly, well, odd. From Apex's own findings, Peak had no ability whatsoever. But Apex couldn't connect with him, in her own words stating that it felt like her power was either being pushed away or sliding off of something. So far, she hadn't met anyone else on Airlandis that produced the same effect nor on Warnado.

Seeing some hesitation there, Holly gently pressed her to go on, wondering herself what this was leading to. Apex finally admitted that it almost felt like the time she'd had the psychic duel with Gangryn (an event that had actually increased Apex's power afterward) but there was no active resistance from Peak. Holly had felt her own interest rise, curious as well what this could be about.

A thought occurred to her then, one she immediately asked Apex about. If Peak really had no ability, then how was he bonded to Wing Storm?

Apex had actually shrugged and admitted that she wasn't sure herself. She'd tried to feel their bond once, but that had been almost completely blocked to her as well. In fact, it was normally difficult getting more than a 'surface reading' from Wing Storm. Apex quickly explained that, saying that she could pick up if Wing Storm was upset but she had to focus more on getting the information as to why he was upset than she would with say, Riptor or Sky Fury.

With all that buzzing in her head, Holly had been looking forward to meeting with Peak, only for it to fall flat. The teen himself didn't admit to any abilities, besides his bond with Wing Storm and he seemed confused when Holly tried to get him to explain it. He had just shrugged and said that he felt what Storm felt and that Storm felt what he felt, which Holly had to admit tended to be normal for how bonds went.

He did admit though that he couldn't seem to pick up anything from other dragons, which most dragonators could do. Even without Apex's empathetic ability, after spending so long with dragons, the average dragonator could pick up if a dragon was projecting that they were hungry, lonely, irritated or a number of other things. Only the rider (or Apex) could pick up specifics but the general sensation could be felt by others.

Oddly, Peak did admit to a sensation of being 'closed off' with just about everyone but Wing Storm. When Holly asked him to explain, the teen had shrugged again and just mumbled about feeling like something should be there but it wasn't or rather, that he felt the lack of a feeling. The session limped on from there, ending on an almost awkward note for both of them when Peak left.

Which brought Holly back to the here and now, glaring at her almost finished report. She'd written down her findings, scheduled a second round of sessions but she just couldn't figure out how to end the part with Peak. Finally she just wrote down a couple theories about him being a naturally 'locked' person, that perhaps he'd been born with abnormally strong mental shields and that the bond between himself and Wing Storm reflected that.

Ignoring the questions that brought up, Holly filed her report away and sent a copy of it to Aaron per his request. She'd barely even begun and already she wanted this project over and done with!


	11. Superstition

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Superstition

(-)

On Airlandis, the standard superstitions were missing. No one tossed salt over their shoulder if they spilled any, there weren't enough domesticated cats around for people to be wary of crossing paths with and the moon was just a rock in the sky.

However, some of the old superstitions still existed. Young children were careful to avoid stepping directly on any cracks on the paths and even some adults tried to avoid splitting the few poles that existed on the floating city. Any broken mirror was carefully tended to, though there was a quietly heated debate on the waiting time and even the length of the 'curse'.

There were even some new superstitions too. It was considered bad luck for a dragon to spit on a person, as well as a sign of extreme irritation. Each successive class of new dragonators got antsy until _someone_ of their class swiped a pair of Ulrich's gloves, preferably before that class's graduation. It was considered a sign of really good luck for a dragonator to successfully bond with the first dragon they were paired with.

Overall though, most people just didn't think about it. Life on Airlandis was enough of an adventure without adding in the flairs of superstition.


	12. Fantasy

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Fantasy

(-)

Lord Dread Wing smirked as he carefully turned another delicate page in the fragile book. Collecting human relics was a hobby of his, well, that and the enjoyment he got at denying the thieves of Airlandis anything they'd want was just too good to pass up.

This particular book was only one out of a small box of about six of them, given to him as part of a tribute payment from a small colony of traveling mutants. In exchange for it, he allowed them safe passage through the lands of his kingdom, at least until the time the next tribute was to be paid.

The pages in all of the books were just about crumbling and the spine in one was completely destroyed, but Dread didn't mind. He was already mentally setting aside time to transcribe the books at a later date and right now, he just wanted to enjoy them.

The one in his hand was a story book of sorts, filled with fairy tales of all kinds. Dread couldn't help a laugh at the irony. The humans' once fantasy world was now their reality and their once reality was now their fantasy world.

Turning to the next page, he let out another laugh at the near perfect image of Black Heart in the ancient book. Though he knew it was just coincidence, it still pleased Dread that even the humans of the past had known what a real dragon looked like.


	13. Test

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Test

(-)

Peak sniffled, rolling over in bed with a groan. Of all the things to take him out of action, a freaking cold was definitely not the coolest. At least he wasn't the only one getting sick, as colds seemed to be making the rounds throughout Airlandis.

Hearing his bedroom door open, Peak rolled back over to see who was there. Summit gave him a cheery wave, a packet held in one hand. His voice came out a little muffled sounding from the face mask he had on, "Hey bro! One of your classmates brought you the notes you missed. She said you'd need to make up a test too."

Groaning again, Peak pulled the blanket over his head, trying to escape the world and the gleam of amusement in Summit's eyes. Though he would have liked to know who had brought the stuff, he didn't feel like encouraging his brother at the moment. Also, school was the last thing he wanted to think about at that moment, even though a small part of him was happy for the distraction from the constant boredom.

Instead the teen lifted one hand free of the blanket enough to point in the general direction of his desk, an unspoken statement to just leave the packet there. Summit obliged, asking, "So, need anything before I go?"

Peak mumbled something, not sure what he said himself before drifting back off into sleep. Summit shook his head and left after getting his younger brother some more water. At least the cold wasn't bad, so Peak would be out and about in another two days at least.


	14. Tease

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers. Spoilers for the episode The Portal.

Prompt: Tease

(-)

Iranda was lonely.

When she'd been transported to the starship _Explorer_ all those years ago, she'd been expecting to find a new world, a new home for the people of Airlandis. While she had found other people, Iranda also found to her dismay that there was no way for her to go back. The portal had been set up only to send people to the _Explorer_ and there was no way to send her back, not unless someone back on Earth did it.

Iranda had no doubts that she was stranded, for she'd only even known about the portal through her work in the Library, going through the old records to see what knowledge they held. Realizing the girl before her had not been speaking for some time, Iranda gave her a small smile of apology and excused herself. The girl gave her an understanding look and nodded, remembering Iranda's history.

Standing from the table in the dining hall, Iranda neatened the skirts of her dress and wandered down the halls for the umpteenth time in as many days. As she walked, her mind wandered, bringing back memories she'd rather it not.

It'd been seventeen years now, seventeen long years. Her children had surely grown and her husband, her dear Aaron, he must have moved on, believing her dead. Surely he wouldn't let the children grow up without a mother, especially not her baby, Peak.

Recognizing her depressing thoughts, Iranda shook her head and made herself think on other things. Unfortunately those thoughts circled back to her family and Airlandis. She missed a lot of things from home. Her happy children, Aaron's gentle teasing for her 'old-fashioned' style, even the warmth of the sun on her skin and the sight of blue skies.

When she stopped walking, Iranda wasn't surprised to find that she'd gone to the small musician's room, just off the hallway from the transporter room. It only had a small piano in it, but that was enough for her. It was her one connection to home, aside from her memories.

Sitting neatly on the bench, Iranda uncovered the keys and began to play her favorite piece.


	15. Storm

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Storm

For this fic:

'talk' = dragon speak

(-)

Wing Storm relaxed in his stall, moving only to stretch his neck before laying back down. His rider had something called 'Finals' today that were extremely important and had made it clear that they weren't likely to fly today. While the dragon understood those were important, he did wish that he and Peak could go for at least a short flight around Airlandis today.

The gray dragon normally hated being land bound for too long, but today, he was fine with it. Between all the recent amber runs, the patrols and the fight against their enemies just yesterday, Storm felt he actually deserved a 'lazy day' as his human put it.

As it was, his stall had everything he could want: fresh comfy bedding, fresh water, a full food trough, and it had been cleaned just that morning. Peak had done all of that when he'd came to tell him about the finals, something the dragon was happy for. Letting out a content snort, Storm wondered if taking a second nap would be a bit too lazy when Sky Fury's head suddenly appeared over the stall separation wall.

Her worried look told him something was wrong before she spoke to him, 'Do you know where my cub went? He was just here napping, but now I can't find him.'

Storm thought for a second before answering her, 'No, sorry. Maybe he went to his nest again?'

The green dragon snorted, 'He knows he's not supposed to go there!'

Striding out of her stall with clear irritation in her stance, Sky Fury left to track down her errant cub. Storm watched her leave, part of him thinking he should go with her and help look. After just a minute, he got up with a snort and took off out of his stall to search for the mischievous cub.

There went his lazy day.


	16. Strawberries

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is property of Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Strawberries

(-)

Apex hummed happily to herself as she sat down to eat her breakfast. It was her usual, a bowl of cereal with some fruit on top, strawberries and blueberries today. She had a cup of coffee to go along with it too, sipping from that occasionally as she ate.

Since she was in the dragonator's dining hall early, it meant she could get a small table alone to herself, something she liked doing in the mornings. Apex felt it helped her get her thoughts in order for the day and overall, it was usually the most peaceful part of the her day.

A sudden crash from behind her startled her into turning around, staring at Sky Fury's cub as it merrily lead a pair of new dragonators in a wild chase, alternating between brief flights and outright running around on the ground. Wondering what this was about, Apex kept herself from outright sighing as she gave up on a peaceful breakfast and went to help them catch the cub.

She was not pleased to find that the cub had stolen a picture of Apex herself in her bathing suit from the newbies, especially when they wouldn't admit how they'd gotten it.


	17. Weapon

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Weapon

(-)

It amazed Z'neth how stupid new dragonators could be.

He dragged the whimpering newbie up and checked him over for injuries, ignoring the teen's demands and claims. The idiot's friends at first tried to back him up, but the glare Z'neth have them silenced them fast.

Turning back to the teen, he calmly and coldly told him, "You're fine."

Z'neth motioned to a pair of older dragonators, "You two, help him get to Medical for a look over, just in case. I've got to start the termination paperwork."

The teen sneered, "So what happens to the scalebag?"

The eldest Dragon Fly glared down at him, "The paperwork is for you. The dragon is going to be taken off the roster for a few days to recover before we attempt another pair up."

Raising a hand sharply to stem the teen's sputtering protests, Z'neth continued on, "One of the first things any dragonator is taught is that the dragon is not just your partner, they are a weapon as well. I saw what you did and you're lucky the dragon only tail-smacked you. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse and if I hear even a whisper about you trying to apply for any position related to the dragonator corps then it will get a lot worse for you."

Someone started to say, "But Amod -"

Z'neth interrupted with a snap, "Amod might have some disagreements with using dragons but he's dealing with that. Amod also only grumbled about them, he never physically attacked a dragon."

Giving those idiot newbies a warning glare, Z'neth turned on his heel to check over the young dragon, now hidden behind Riptor and another dragon that he didn't immediately recognize. Deciding to worry on that later, he tried to soothe the young dragon without scaring it.

What had made them think that scaring a dragon was funny, to the point that they didn't seem to think physically hurting the dragon was a problem? Was this some new trend that he had to look out for?

As the young one finally crept forward enough for Z'neth to gently give her a scratch where the head and neck met, a preferred spot for the dragons, he decided on something for certain. The first thing wrong those other idiots did, they were out of the corps, with no way to return.


	18. Beach

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Beach

(-)

The day was gorgeous.

Relaxing on her towel, Apex let out a pleased sigh. Dressed in her purple two piece bathing suit, she took in the sounds of the waves, allowing it all to lull her constantly active brain into a state of peace.

Peace that was of course broken by the yell of one of her brothers. Pushing herself up on her elbows, Apex moved her sunglasses up enough to check on the other three. She could just make out what had to be Z'neth swimming in the distance, while Peak and Summit were roughhousing closer to shore. It seemed to be an even split between general wrestling and trying to see who could dunk the other underwater for the longest time first.

Rolling her eyes, Apex laid back down, fixing her sunglasses back as she got comfortable once more. The public beach in the Marine biosphere was a treat to go to, though as Dragon Flyz they did have access to the other, private beach. They'd chosen to go to the public one because well, it was fun being around other people, though Apex wasn't feeling too kind towards certain others right then.

Hearing giggling and half-hushed whispers, Apex lifted up her sunglasses again to look for the source. It was a small group of three young women, all of them watching her brothers in the water and at least one of them was bragging about how she could 'so totally snag a date'.

Rolling her eyes, Apex again put back her sunglasses, not feeling like dealing with it. Her brothers could handle themselves well enough to fend off unwanted advances. The almost respectful hush from them when Z'neth emerged from the water, dragging Peak and Summit out with him, was very amusing though.


	19. Lost

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Lost

(-)

Aaron frowned to himself as he typed in yet another detail of the day he'd seen the Promised Land. It was so long ago but the details were so fresh in his head that it was like only yesterday that he'd seen it.

But then why couldn't he remember where it was?

His frown deepened when he again got to that part. On that day, he'd been out with his team, the previous Dragon Flyz, on a routine scouting and amber hunting flight. During that, they'd been ambushed by Dread Wing and some of his forces.

Actually the battle itself was sort of hazy. The reports filed by his team mates stated that Aaron had been knocked off his dragon by Black Heart and sent plummeting to the ground.

It was during that time of his fall, Aaron had gotten his glimpse of the Promised Land. He'd seen Oases before, but none of that gigantic size. It'd been beautiful, with lush trees, plentiful grass and the glimmer of a distant lake. Jupiter had rescued him with a simple diving maneuver and they'd gone back to finish the fight.

Later on Airlandis, Aaron had tried to memorize the co-ordinates of the Promised Land, but between the reports, the time in Medical and comforting his, at that time, young children as well as his sweet Iranda, he'd lost all of the information except for that one glimpse burned into his memory.

Which was why he'd started this exercise, re-recording the events of that day in the hopes of remembering some vital clue. Aaron knew that Airlandis had at best been a temporary solution after the Great Cataclysm. Though great strides had been made to adjust and change the floating city into a more permanent solution, there would be a time that it just wouldn't last any longer.

Reading back over what he'd written, Aaron frowned again and returned to his self-appointed task. The Promised Land existed and he would find it again.


	20. Cry

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Cry

(-)

Well, this was embarrassing.

Peak grumbled to himself as he clambered up a hill, cursing the loose dirt and stones that seemed to shift every time he made a move. Finally he got to the top and looked around, trying to locate the rest of the Dragonator One squad.

Seeing no one, he tried his comm unit next and let out a relieved sigh when it worked. Z'neth, however, sounded very unamused, "Peak, where are you? We're nearly back to the city. Over."

The teen glanced around, "I'm not too far from the Spiral Cliffs, I think. I can see the Trident from where I am. Over."

There was a brief burst of static before his eldest brother replied, "Stay out of sight and keep an eye to the sky. We've got to get the amber back to Airlandis and then we'll be on our way back for you. Over."

"Understood Z'neth. Over."

"And Peak? No more flight tricks on Wing Storm, got that? Over."

The youngest Dragon Fly grimaced and shuffled his feet before deciding it was best to let his brother think that was what happened, "Understood. Over."

"Stay safe Peak, over and out."

As the communications ended, the teen let out a huff of air and paced for a bit on the hilltop. Peak was tempted to remove his helmet but decided against it, figuring he was in enough hot water as it was. Hearing the far off cry of some Old Earth creature, the human quickly sought some shelter or at least a defensible position.

But of course, fate had to get one last laugh at him as Peak tripped over a rock and tumbled down the other side of the hill, yelping as he went down before finally sliding to a stop against some other rocks.

Grumbling about the unfairness of it all, Peak made to get up and glanced down at the rocks that'd stopped his descent. Letting out a happy whoop, the teen got down on his knees to pull one of the precious amber stones free and check it over.

With the way the lava flows moved, it wasn't that uncommon for amber to get pushed onto one of the shores or even for the dragonators to occasionally find some 'land-locked' amber that was no where near a lava flow.

However, after the events with the crystal fire and the bugz, every bit of amber found outside of a lava flow had to be carefully checked. This was easily done by having his helmet computer perform a scan on each bit of amber, which would determine if either threat was present.

All of the amber passed with flying colors, brightening Peak's mood even further. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he went on to free the rest of the amber from the ground. A cache of ten amber crystals was a very good find and it would certainly do to help keep Ulrich happy.

Spying a cave he could shelter in until the return of his siblings, Peak carried the amber to it first to keep the find secure before he settled in for his wait. Though he would get a reprimand for 'goofing off' (again), it was much better than what would happen if Z'neth found out that Peak had gotten knocked off of Wing Storm due to a daydream.


	21. Aloof

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Aloof

'talk' = dragon talk/Apex talking to dragons

(-)

"Hey Apex, a little help here?"

The female Dragon Fly turned around to see who called her and saw one of the other few female dragonators waving at her from the opening of a dragon stall. Smiling, Apex walked over to her comrade, "Hey Lillian. Everything alright?"

The brunette nodded and gave a half wave over her shoulder, "Pretty good yeah, mind calming this worrywart down for me though? Star just won't listen to me today."

Apex cast a glance at the indicated dragon, surprised to see the normally aloof North Star shuffling nervously in her stall and making worried sounds at Lillian. Concentrating, Apex gently touched Star's mind and at once understood the cause.

Letting out a small laugh, Apex explained, "She's worried about you and your egg."

Lillian snorted, moving to sit in the chair just outside the stall, "I wish we laid eggs. Might make the whole process easier if you ask me."

Apex smiled at her before returning her attention to Star, 'It will be okay. Lillian's just taking some time off to have her baby. She will come back.'

North Star swung her head around almost royally before lowering it towards her heavily pregnant dragonator for a scratch, 'I know. She is my rider after all. But shouldn't she be in her nest? Where is that useless mate of hers?! Doesn't he know how to take care of his female?!'

Apex quietly cut the connection as Star continued on her rant. Turning to Lillian, she smiled, "I feel bad for your husband. Star plans to let him have it next time she sees him."

Lillian just laughed.


	22. Blood

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Blood

(-)

Councilman Joshua was pleased.

The preparations for the Autumn festival were going well, the city had a decent supply of amber and there was no sign of any trouble on the horizon. Walking into one of the decorated halls, he observed the dragonators there setting up the tables and chairs for the event.

Nodding to himself, he made a note on his hand-held data pad that all was well in this area. Turning to continue his observations, Joshua spied Apex approaching him with a plate of muffins in her hands. Smiling, she offered him one, "Pumpkin spice muffins, fresh out of the kitchens."

Returning her smile, he politely took one, "Thank you Apex. I am-"

About to continue on, he saw Z'neth some feet behind her, looking terrified and making frantic 'NO' motions at the councilman. There was only one reason for that, immediately recognizable to anyone that had attended last year's Winter festival or even the year before that's Spring festival. Steeling himself against any signs that would betray his actual feelings, Joshua smoothly continued with, "- unfortunately a little busy right now. I'll have it later as a snack."

Apex looked a little disappointed but nodded in understanding, "If you want another, just find me."

With that, she walked on to find more vict- people to give a pastry to. Councilman Joshua waited until she was out of sight, giving Z'neth a heartfelt nod of thanks as he passed by, before throwing the deceptive food away.

Apex's cooking was legendary, in a bad way. While most of the time it looked okay and even delicious to eat, anyone foolish enough to actually eat one all but paid in blood. Or in the case of the cookies she made for the Summer festival three years back, blood had in fact drawn. Those damn things had broken apart in just the right ways to cut up the mouth of any who bit into one.

Feeling the ache in his gums at the memory, Joshua suppressed a shudder and continued on his way, giving out the warning himself to help prevent another incident.


	23. Tower Block

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Tower Block

(-)

Summit tried not to yawn as he stumbled into the tower block, barely having the presence of mind to wave back at the passing dragonators going on shift. Forgoing the elevator in favor of the stairs, he got to the third floor and wandered for a little bit before finally finding his apartment door.

A little embarrassed that he was tired enough to get lost going home, Summit typed in his entry code and placed his hand on the entry pad so it could do the verification scan. Giving a cheery little beep, the door slid aside to let him in and neatly slid shut as soon as he stepped inside the modest apartment.

Giving his place a quick sweep to ensure nothing was messed with, a paranoid habit even though he lived alone, Summit next made sure both the front door and the flight doors were locked up, as well as the windows. Satisfied at last that his domain hadn't been breached, the Dragon Fly went to his bedroom to strip out of his uniform.

Putting it all neatly aside with the mental reminder to clean it later, Summit walked into the bathroom to finish stripping down and to take a shower in an attempt to feel more human than he currently did. A short while later he emerged back into his bedroom, dressed for bed and already feeling much better.

Grabbing the needed supplies, he went through the motions of cleaning his gear and uniform, mentally double-checking his schedule as he did so. Tomorrow he just had general patrols around Airlandis with an afternoon flight with the rest of Dragonator One squad. The day after was a double flight, one for general patrol and the other specifically an amber crystal run.

That was of course if everything went well and there was no emergency caused by either bum crystals or an attack by Dread Wing or whatever ally the self-proclaimed Lord of Old Earth managed to dig up.

With another yawn, Summit stowed away his uniform, gear and cleaning supplies, making yet another mental note to double-check everything in the morning. As tired as he was now, he didn't doubt that he'd missed spots.

Deciding that that could wait for later, Summit finally crawled into bed and wrapped up in his blanket. As sleep took him over, he had just enough time to make a silent swear that any attacking force that arrived before tomorrow morning would be dealt with mercilessly.


	24. Taxi

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers. The idea of dragons having a bond with their rider comes from Ry Sabir. Go read his stuff.

Prompt: Taxi

'talk' = dragons talking/Apex talking to dragons

(-)

Blaze Wind snorted as he came in for a landing on Airlandis. Apex let him take care of it, trusting him to set himself down without a mishap. The white and purple dragon began to taxi as soon as his feet touched the landing strip, easing off the last of his momentum from the short flight.

Once he stopped, Apex slid off the saddle to help lead him back to his stall, though she didn't need to. Blaze let her do so anyway, hoping she'd stay afterwards for a chat. They hadn't had one of those for a while and he wasn't above admitting that he was lonely for her company.

Of course he had the other dragons to talk to, but there was something different about having such a strong connection with his rider. Besides, her way of thinking and reasoning was interesting to consider in their talks, especially in the few times they had clashing opinions.

But that had to be interrupted by a petite brunette woman approaching Apex to talk with her. Blaze Wind snorted and tuned them out as he began to continue on to his stall, feeling he deserved to be a little grumpy right then. Apex stopped him though and he felt their connection open, 'Hey Blaze Wind, do you mind answering a few questions?'

He blinked once before replying, 'I don't. Could it wait until I've had a drink first?'

Apex nodded and motioned for the newcomer to follow them. She explained as they made their way to Blaze's stall, 'This is Holly, she's a researcher from the University. She's doing a study on my empathy ability and the bond between dragon and rider. She just has a couple questions for you regarding your end of the bond.'

Blaze Wind held off on replying as he took a drink from his water trough. Licking the water from his snout, he answered back, 'Certainly. What does she want to know?'

It wasn't the chat he was hoping for, but this could turn out to be quite interesting.


	25. Search

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: Search

Part One

(-)

Z'neth slowly edged his way around a cluster of boulders, nerves painfully tight and his windjammer at the ready.

Peak had been caught yet again by Dread Wing and once more Z'neth wasn't too sure on how that had happened. Again, they'd been taunted by the mutant Lord of Old Earth, who had quickly set down the terms for Peak's return.

But this time was different. There was no demand for Airlandis, no sudden ambush at any time through the discussion and most worryingly, no Peak in sight. Dread had instead gestured towards an odd looking landmark and made a remark on how he found it so interesting that humans had at one point obsessed over mazes.

It had clicked then in Z'neth's head, and from the sharp intake he'd heard behind him, his other siblings realized it as well. Dread's mocking smirk came out then and he finally set the terms.

Peak had been placed in that maze not long after his capture. Dread was going to generously allow them each one day to search it and find him. If the five days passed without finding Peak, Dread was going to permanently seal the maze's entrance.

The other conditions were even less favorable for them. Apex wasn't allowed to participate in the search due to her powers, so they would have to find a replacement for her. Also, whoever went into the maze would be followed by a dark dramen and a mutant, to help prevent cheating.

Z'neth spared a glance over his shoulder to see Nocturna and the dark dramen following him slowly at their own pace. The teal mutant's eyes met his briefly in the light from his helmet's flashlight and he caught the slightest hint of apology in them before she steeled her gaze into one of slight twisted amusement.

The eldest Dragon Fly ignored the sudden pang in his chest and returned his gaze to searching the tunnel. He knew Nocturna would have given him some help if she could, just as Dread knew it. So why had he made her follow Z'neth in?

Hearing something move further down in the tunnel, Z'neth pushed those thoughts out of his head to focus. His helmet light caught nothing, but he still didn't lower his arm, not trusting this area.

The maze was a natural one, made from centuries of water and wind carving through the various underground caves until it became the confusing, ever twisting mess that it was today. Even if they'd been allowed to use the dragons (they hadn't), this maze was too small for them.

There were other worries as well. After Z'neth had agreed to go in first, Dread had made an odd comment about how they'd want to hurry. At that, the red mutant had tossed a bundle at the Dragon Flyz from his position on Black Heart's back. It popped open once it hit the ground, the roughly wrapped package revealed to be Peak's gear. His windjammer and communicator, his helmet, his zoomerang and the upper half of his body armor.

At that time, Z'neth had gritted his teeth and continued on into the maze, but now, here in the dark, those nagging little worries were coming back. First of all, it was pitch black in the maze, and Z'neth had found evidence that creatures lived in here though he hadn't seen any yet.

Add in to that that the increasing chill of the maze for another worry. Without his gear, Peak was unlikely to last long down here. Firmly stamping down the mental whisper that his youngest sibling could already be dead, Z'neth pushed forward into the maze.

They would find him. They would not give up.


	26. Writer's Choice: Futile

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: _Writer's Choice_ – Futile

Part Two

(-)

"Call off the search."

Z'neth didn't bother to hide his glare at Councilman Joshua, though the other man had the dignity to show at least a little bit of guilt on his face. Aaron shook his head, "It's the only lead we have Joshua."

The brunet gritted his teeth and replied, "It's futile and you know it, all of you. We don't even have any evidence that Peak is actually in that maze."

Summit piped up then, "He's got to be. Fryte's no actor and he clearly tried to keep me from going down certain tunnels. Plus I'm pretty sure I saw that dark dramen looking at something while we were down there."

Z'neth nodded at his brother and spoke up himself, "It's been two days already Joshua. We're sending Zarkan in tomorrow, with Nora going in the day after. Dram's only allowed in on the last day."

There was a brief period of silence as everyone considered that. Five days was a lot of time to spend in a dark and confusing place, especially without gear and supplies. It was clear that the longer they waited to send Dram in, the fainter their chances of recovering Peak successfully got.

Seeming to read their minds, Dram quietly confirmed their worries, "If I'd been allowed in on the first day, I likely could have found him then. But five days...his scent will be weak and dispersed throughout the area. That's not including the conflicting scents of Old Earth interfering."

Joshua growled, "Either way we need to end this soon! By doing this, Dread Wing's completely tied up our best fliers! We're barely getting the needed number of amber crystals right now and there's no telling when Dread will do his double-cross."

They were all quiet again at that. Everyone knew that Dread only held his word for as long as he cared to, as well as that he'd do anything to get the city of Airlandis under his control. Aaron took that time to glance at Apex, who shook her head with an exhausted sigh.

There were bags under her eyes, her skin had paled and her hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in the last few days. Taking a minute to gather her thoughts, she spoke, "I still can't get anything from Wing Storm, not even when I go through Blaze Wind. What little I can get though, it points out that Storm doesn't know anything either, just that Black Heart ambushed him. Gremwings must have gotten Peak from there or dark dramen got him with a net."

Z'neth nodded at her, "Anything you can find out helps Apex. Could it be possible that Peak isn't in the maze?"

Apex shrugged, "It could be. If they just lead him through there to put his scent in the area to trick Dram and no one told Fryte that Peak was somewhere else, that could have happened."

Z'neth nodded again, resisting the urge to rub his forehead. There were too many factors to consider here, too many unknowns. A rough idea formed in his mind. It was risky, but they'd have to try it. Looking around at the table, he began, "Here's what we'll do. Dread wants the Flyz at that maze each day, as well as the other searchers. So that takes us out of the running for now. We'll try to keep them there as long as possible, however we can. While that's going on, we'll send a second team to Warnado to scout it out. If they find evidence that Peak is there, then we'll plan a rescue mission. If they don't, then we've got to keep on trying the maze. As soon as we find Peak, we're out of there. Is that clear?"

There were nods and some half-hearted agreements from around the meeting table. Z'neth took it at that, knowing that everyone felt drained by this. Tomorrow would either bring relief or disaster and they could only hope it was relief at this point.


	27. Writer's Choice: Discover

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: _Writer's Choice_ – Discover

Part Three

'_talk'_ = thoughts

(-)

Zarkan stubbornly ignored the chortling of the dark dramen and Fryte behind him, knowing they were trying to make him lose time with their jokes of Peak not being found. The leader of Dragonator Two squad slowly panned his helmet's light around, trying to find something, anything that would indicate where the missing teen had gone.

Specifically, he was trying to find any of the trail signs that dragonators were taught to leave behind in case they were lost/had to leave an area and could not contact Airlandis. So far though, there was nothing.

'_Come on Peak. I know you're smarter than this, so where are the signs?'_ Zarkan wasn't sure which was worse. The idea that Peak hadn't left the signs because he couldn't see to do so or the fact he might not have had the time to leave any.

Pushing past those thoughts, he focused on his search, hoping to discover something, anything that would at least indicate that Peak was in the maze. His own second in command Amod was leading the scouting team sent to Warnado so hopefully they'd find something if not the missing Dragon Fly himself.

His helmet light passed over an odd formation of small rocks and Zarkan quickly looked back at it, almost forgetting himself in the process. Allowing himself just a minute to examine the pile from his position, he panned his light around carefully, windjammer at the ready.

That was one of the trail signs, indicating the direction a dragonator had gone. What worried him though, was that it was slightly disturbed, like something had been sniffing around it. Going down the indicated tunnel, Zarkan focused his light on the ground between the periodic scanning from wall to wall.

He'd foolishly assumed that Peak would make the signs on a wall but that would have been almost impossible without light or a blade or marking ink of any sort. Making them on the ground would have been much easier, though harder to preserve. Zarkan wondered how many other signs had been passed in the previous days as well as how many had been destroyed by something else.

A second, neater pile of rocks pointed further down the tunnel and Zarkan made to follow it. Fryte and the dark dramen were quiet, oddly quiet. The second squad leader glanced over his shoulder and saw that he'd left them behind at the tunnel's opening. They seemed to be arguing over something, specifically over whatever the rectangular device in the dark dramen's hand was telling them.

Quietly continuing on, Zarkan was surprised to find a patch of orange-red light just past the bend ahead of him. It was given off by an odd cluster of jagged, rusty red crystals. There were even a few scraggly plants bunched up close to the cluster, oversized leaves positioned to absorb every bit of light they could get.

There were also signs that someone had been here. Fracture marks on the crystal cluster showed that part of it had been broken off, likely with the help of a rock. Leaning in closer to it, Zarkan also saw a few dark spots of some dried up liquid on a few of the crystals. Getting his helmet to do a scan showed it to be blood, human in fact.

The man gritted his teeth against the swear that wanted to come out. So Peak was here in the maze. The blood was hours old though, but at least it meant he'd been alive then and now the teen had a light source of sorts. Looking over the plants, he could now see where some of them were missing leaves, many broken off at the stem.

Frowning, he glanced down to look at the tunnel floor. His helmet light landed on a dried-up wad of chewed leaves, spat out probably around the time Peak had gotten the light crystal. That worried him. Dragonators were taught to not eat anything on Old Earth that had not been cleared and most certainly not to drink anything either. There were a lot of poisonous things on the planet now, and at least as many that simply didn't agree with the human body.

A sinking feeling in his chest, Zarkan crouched down to look at the bases of the plants. Sure enough, one of them showed signs of being dug at, a broken off root jutting out from the ground. Poking carefully at it revealed that the disturbed dirt was surprisingly moist. So, Peak had tried to find food and a water source, which went along with his training.

But Zarkan didn't recognize these plants, which was a bad thing. Taking a sample of the root, a bit of broken off crystal and a leaf to bring back to Airlandis for examination, he made to leave, only for his boot to step on something. Looking back down, Zarkan saw an odd little wrapped bundle of leaves, partially buried in the dirt.

It had been dug free by something else some time ago and its apparently metallic contents worried him even more. He had his helmet do a scan on it as well and felt that sinking feeling again. Human blood and tissue, on something that looked very similar to the tracking tags used on the animals back in Airlandis' biospheres. It also looked like it had been smashed with a rock as well.

Pulling a container out of the pouch wrapped around his thigh, Zarkan carefully collected that odd thing as well, putting it all away just as Fryte and the dark dramen caught back up with him. He said nothing to their snarling and grumbling, allowing them to pull him out of the maze.

He needed to get this information and the samples back to Airlandis as soon as possible.


	28. Writer's Choice: Fear

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: _Writer's Choice_ – Fear

Part Four

(-)

It was dark again. That wasn't good.

The crystal he'd gotten an unknown time ago finally dulled out completely but he didn't drop it. It was sharp so if nothing else it would make a good emergency weapon.

He'd already had a couple of encounters with creatures down here, encounters he hadn't exactly gotten away unscathed from, as the throbbing pain in his arm noted. At the thought of pain, his side flared up again, sending red-hot stabs straight to his head.

Forcing himself to keep quiet, Peak delicately touched the self-made wound with his fingertips. The sudden rush of pain nearly brought him to his knees, only sheer determination keeping him standing upright. The area felt extremely tender, swollen and hot to the touch, bringing the worry of infection to his mind.

It'd been stupid to do but he'd had to. That weird device had been hurting him even more when it'd been inside, to the point that extracting it had brought an almost heady sensation of relief. Peak had at least remembered his training, burying the resulting mess and using the surprisingly sticky plant leaf's sap to try and keep his wound closed, with other leaves used as an improvised bandage.

So far it seemed to be working, but he knew he needed to get home as soon as possible. Thinking on home made him pause, a dangerous thing to do right then.

Here, in the dark and the unknown, Peak wasn't above admitting he was scared. There were a lot of things in this place to bring fear to the human. Lack of water, lack of food, lack of sleep, lack of defense and offense, no secured shelter but most of all, the idea that he'd never get to see his family or Airlandis again.

Blinking away the stinging sensation in his eyes, Peak forced himself to keep moving. He had to focus on what he could do right now, not on what he couldn't. First, another light source. Then something to eat and drink. He'd had some...failures...in that department but there were a couple of things he'd found that were safe enough.

As he carried on through the tunnels, one hand on a wall to keep himself steady, Peak almost thought he could hear someone calling his name.

It had to be a hallucination, after all, why would Nora be calling for him?


	29. Writer's Choice: Rescue

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: _Writer's Choice_ – Rescue

'_talk'_ = thought

'talk' = dragon's talking/Apex speaking to dragons

Part Five

(-)

Dram hurried along the tunnels, having already taken out his dark dramen companions further back. Today was the last day they had to search, they could take no more chances now. Finding Peak's scent, the good dramen followed it as well as he could, taking every turn he could whenever the scent trail strengthened.

The tunnels before had been well described to him by the others, so that part had been easy to a point. But now, he was getting deeper into the maze, into parts the others hadn't gotten too. Peak's scent was here though and unfortunately so was the scent of blood.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Dram found a spot where the scent was both the strongest and the most confusing. Making a quick decision, he hissed out, "Peak! Peak are you here?"

A sudden sound right above his head made him curse, swinging his arm around to bring the windjammer up to shoot whatever was about to attack him. Only Dram's excellent night vision stopped him from blasting Peak right in the head.

The blond teen stared at him in a sleepy way, quite like he didn't believe it, "Dram?"

The dramen lowered his weapon quickly, feeling weak at the sudden rush of relief coursing through him. Reaching up now to help Peak down from the ledge the boy was taking shelter on, Dram replied, "Yes, it's me Peak. Can you get down?"

The teen sat back and swung his legs over the side of the ledge to slide down, almost perfectly into Dram's grasp. He had to quickly help his little brother stand, as Peak's legs didn't seem to want to support him.

Making sure he was secure, Dram immediately began to help Peak to the entrance out of the maze, using the scents of the other humans to guide him out. A feeling of dread lurked in the back of his head though, one he couldn't ignore.

It was almost over. It was almost over and Dread had yet to make a move of any sort. Even after Peak had apparently removed the tracking device/stunner they'd put inside him, Dread still hadn't made any kind of move against them. Not even for the team sent to Warnado, something he'd dropped hints at this very morning they'd arrived at the maze.

His suspicions were answered as the sounds of weapons fire grew ever louder the closer the two of them got to the maze entrance. He could even hear Dread Wing shouting about letting the Dragon Flyz die as a family.

The others were clustered together just at the maze entrance, trying to keep the dark dramen and the mutants out of it. Dram shouted, "I found him Z'neth! We can go!"

The eldest Dragon Fly spared the quickest glance over his shoulder, shouting back, "We can't Dram! The dragons can't get to us and Dread and his forces have us pinned here!"

'_Wanna go home._'

The thought flickered through all their minds, somehow seeming to leave a trail of mental 'static' behind it. It kept it up, eventually shortening to simply '_Home'_.

Apex clutched at her head, crying out at the building pressure there. She could see the others reacting similarly, Dram even falling to his knees, taking Peak with him. The Dragon Fly wasn't sure, but for a split second she thought she saw Peak's eyes glow, almost like how hers would when she used her power.

Then...then it all went painfully black yet so bright at the same time.

When she regained her senses, Apex was startled to find herself in Medical, just as the doctor and nurse at her bedside were startled at her suddenly sitting up. They regained their composure quickly though and gave her a look over before the doctor left to get Aaron.

The nurse smiled weakly at Apex and drifted off without answering any of her questions, mumbling something like "You wouldn't believe me."

Aaron came speeding into the room, looking visibly relieved, "Apex, you're awake!"

She smiled at him, but quickly asked, "Father, what happened? The last thing I remember, we were on Old Earth..."

Aaron sighed, "We're not too sure ourselves. One moment we're arranging for a back-up squad to assist the team on Old Earth and the next we're getting frantic calls that all of you are on the main airstrip and that medical teams were needed immediately."

Apex knew she was staring at him incredulously and she couldn't help it, "Is everyone okay? Where are they?"

Aaron gently put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, "It's alright my daughter. Everyone else is awake already and resting right now. You've been out the longest, even longer than Dram."

"And Peak? Is he..."

Her father seemed to wilt then, answering her softly, "He's in a quarantine room right now. Your brother needed a few surgeries and they want to keep a close eye on the incision site of where that tracking device was implanted. The doctor assured me that Peak should pull through fine and we'll be able to interact with him in a few days. He still has yet to wake up though."

Apex knew there were things her father wasn't telling her, but she understood why. Peak had been on Old Earth for several days and would therefore need to undergo detox and an observational period to insure he hadn't brought anything infectious back. Realizing that her hair was slightly damp and that she herself smelled of lemon, Apex knew she'd already been given a sterilizing bath as a precaution.

A little upset at that, though she knew the reason for it, Apex asked, "Can I leave or do I need to stay?"

Aaron sighed, "They would like you and the others to stay a couple of days at least, for observation."

She grumbled a little but nodded, moving to lay back down on the uncomfortable bed. Her father moved a small stack of books closer to her for reading before he left, citing that he needed to go calm Joshua down before the councilman broke something.

Smiling at that image, Apex opened her mind and reached for Blaze Wind, 'Hey, you there?'

Her dragon responded back easily, 'I am here Apex. It's good to know you are awake.'

'How is everyone?'

There was some mental shuffling, a low murmuring in the background that she recognized as Blaze talking to the other dragons, before he answered her back, 'We're fine. Riptor is keeping Wing Storm in his stall though. Storm wants to go to Peak at the moment and either actually isn't understanding why he can't or he is just being stubborn.'

Apex winced, 'Could you let him know he should be able to see Peak in a few days? That's what I was told.'

Blaze sighed, 'I shall. Please excuse me, I'm quite tired at the moment. Out-flying Black Heart is no easy task.'

Apex winced again and made a quick mental promise to give Blaze Wind a special treat later, 'Alright, goodnight Blaze.'

'Goodnight Apex.'

Feeling the connection close on his end, Apex shut her mind and resettled on the bed with a sigh. This had been one odd rescue alright, but at least it'd been successful.

Peak was home, they were home, and so far, everything was okay.


	30. Writer's Choice: Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** TinySprite owns nothing of Dragon Flyz, which is owned by Gaumont Pictures. Only the plot is hers.

Prompt: _Writer's Choice_ – Aftermath

Part Six

'\\\\\\\\\\\' = scene change

(-)

Exhausted, researcher Holly stumbled into Aaron's office to turn in her latest report at the appointed time. She was surprised to see Z'neth there but Aaron gave her a permissive motion to begin talking. Straightening up, she glanced over her data pad once more to make sure it was all in order before handing it over to Aaron, "Not much to say sir. Overall I don't think whatever happened is going to happen again, not unless Peak is put into a similar situation again. There is support for his ability though."

Aaron put the data pad aside to read later, attention focused on Holly, "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

She continued, "With your permission, I did check the family lines. Apparently one of Iranda's great great uncles could teleport small objects at will. He never did people though and supposedly the largest thing he teleported was a stack of books. The distant was never very far for him either, his maximum limit seeming to be about ten yards."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Holly added, "I've tried having Peak do some tests, but so far nothing's happening. Apex also said that she still can't feel anything from him."

Aaron prompted, "Tests?"

Holly answered, "Small things, like trying to see if he couldn't teleport an apple or move it. Most of the time he didn't seem to get what I was asking him to do, which supports his claim that he doesn't remember the incident itself. Like I state in my report, this could have just been a one-time thing."

Aaron nodded at her, "Thank you for your work Holly."

She nodded back and left, grateful that she had some down time at last. As soon as she was gone, Z'neth turned back to his father, "So what do we do now?"

Aaron picked up the data pad to skim over it, trying to arrange the information into a plan. After a while, he answered, "Just don't talk about it for now. If Peak has questions, answer them but otherwise try to avoid the subject. We'll have to think of a more official statement later but for now, let's leave it at a stroke of luck."

Z'neth nodded, feeling the stress of the last few days wearing down on both of them. Dealing with the aftermath of both rescuing Peak and their apparent teleportation to Airlandis had not been easy and very likely was going to cause headaches for many people for months afterward.

\\\\\\\\\\\

Peak grumbled to himself as he viciously jabbed his spoon at what the nurse had claimed was lunch. The tasteless, watery excuse for soup just gently sloshed in the bowl, mocking him with its existence. Choosing to ignore it, he picked up the apple that had come with it for dessert, having already eaten the toast first with some of the soup in a desperate hope it'd taste better. It hadn't.

Biting into it, he was surprised to hear a knock at the doorway. Glancing up, he saw Apex stepping into the room, giving him a cheery wave as she did so. He quickly chewed and swallowed the bite of apple, mumbling, "Hey sis."

She smiled at him, coming over to him to give Peak a brief hug before handing him a box, "Hey Peak. How do you feel?"

Examining the box in his hands, Peak shrugged, "Not too bad, still sore in places though. I still don't like the haircut."

Apex smiled at him again, lightly running her fingers through his now short hair, "They had good reasons for cutting it, you know that. Besides, it looks good on you."

Peak half-heartedly swatted her hand away, finally opening the box. He immediately brightened at the sight of the baked goods inside, "Thanks sis!"

Happily biting into one, he nearly missed what she said next, "The doctor told me it was okay for you to have other foods now and I remembered that lemon bars are your favorite, so I made you some as a treat."

Unfortunately already swallowing the bite, Peak forced himself to smile back at her, waiting for the incoming pain. However, there wasn't any. No sudden stomach cramping, no instant nausea, no odd taste or textures in the lemon bar. Apex's food always reacted quickly too, so he knew that it was highly unlikely to experience anything horrible later on. Hesitantly taking a second bite, Peak was relieved that still nothing happened.

Now legitimately smiling back at a nervous looking Apex, Peak told her, "Thanks sis! They're great!"

Brightening up herself, she gently chided him, "Don't talk with your mouth full Peak and you're welcome. I'll make them again for you sometime."

He nodded at her as she made to leave, "Sorry I've got to go so soon Peak but we're due to go on an amber run in just half an hour. I'll see you later though."

Peak sighed but nodded again, waving bye at his sister as she walked out of his room. Closing the box and putting it aside on the nightstand, he laid back down on the stiff medical bed, wondering who'd come see him next. He'd been moved out of the quarantine room earlier that week into a private one with a restricted visitors list. Except for that researcher girl, Holly, only family were allowed to see him so far, though his siblings had told him of well-wishes from the other dragonators.

Yawning suddenly, Peak cursed whichever of the medicines he was on that made him drowsy but gave in to the urge to nap easily. It wasn't like he could do much else, not since he'd already completed his current school assignments for the week.

He woke up later right as his father and Summit stepped in, apparently surprising them. Blinking sleepily at them, Peak sat up on his elbows, "Hey."

Aaron hesitated in the doorway, "Should we come back later?"

Peak shook his head and moved to fully sit up, "Nah it's fine. It's just one of the meds making me sleepy. What's up?"

Aaron drifted over to stand next to the bed with Summit following him, "Nothing really, we just came for a visit."

Peak nodded, trying to keep himself from yawning again. Spying the box, the teen picked it up and opened it again, offering it to his father and brother, "Want one? They're really good."

Aaron politely turned him down while Summit accepted a bar. Peak picked up one himself and happily bit into it, waiting for someone to say something. However, that didn't happen as Summit suddenly choked and ran to the room's attached bathroom. The sound of retching was quickly heard from it.

Aaron immediately made to take the box from Peak, who just as quickly held it out of his reach, "It's okay! Apex made them for me!"

His father halted and stared at him, "Apex made those?"

Peak nodded, finishing the bar he'd been eating, "They're actually pretty good too."

Aaron kept staring at him, repeating, "Apex made those?"

Peak nodded again, starting to get a little creeped out now, "Is Summit okay?"

At that point Summit came out of the bathroom, drying his hands off with a paper towel, croaking, "I'll be fine, I think. Didn't actually swallow any of it."

The older blond looked at the box in Peak's hands and visibly shuddered, "How come you're not getting sick?"

Finally realizing it, Peak looked confused himself before shrugging and quietly saying, "I guess my stomach toughened up."

There was an awkward moment of silence before Aaron gently patted Peak on the shoulder, "Is there anything you'd like us to get you?"

Peak shook his head before pointing at the haphazard stack of papers on the room's single table, "Could you take that to my teachers? Otherwise I'm good."

Summit picked up the papers, "Got it lil bro. Sure you don't want a book or anything?"

Peak shrugged and yawned, "If you feel like bringing me one, sure."

One of the doctors chose that moment to poke his head into the room, "Aaron, could I speak with you for a moment please?"

Aaron nodded and gave his youngest a quick hug, "I'll be back tomorrow Peak. Sleep well."

After their father left, Summit gave Peak a one-armed hug himself, "Later little brother. Careful with that box."

Peak waved him off, already too sleepy to care much anymore.

As he drifted off again, there was a small part of himself that was oddly happy at not having to experience the aftermath of Apex's cooking anymore.


End file.
